Five teams off to hot starts are our first set of finalists this winter to be the Overtime FCIAC Team of the Week.
Your choices: The Darien boys swimming, Trumbull girls basketball, Danbury boys basketball, Ridgefield girls hockey and St. Joseph girls basketball teams.
The winner will get T-shirts with our logo courtesy of BlueStreak Sports Training, Garden Catering, the Stamford Advocate, Karl Chevrolet, Innovative Health and Rehabilitation, Chelsea Piers and New Balance of New Canaan.
The Blue Wave opened with a big win, a 104-81 decision over rival New Canaan.
The Eagles improved to 4-0 by defeating Fairfield Warde and coming from 11 points down at halftime to defeat Westhill in overtime.
The Hatters had to put in extra work to open 2-0: defeating Bridgeport Central in double overtime and Brien McMahon in overtime.
The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start after a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Greenwich.
The Cadets are 4-0 after a pair of quality wins, over New Canaan and Darien.
The voting is open until noon on Wednesday. So vote below and check back to find out who is this week’s Overtime FCIAC Team of the Week.
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After a record-setting career at New Canaan High School, quarterback Matt Milano wanted to ensure he would get the best opportunity to play in college.
That was a big part of Milano’s decision to commit for the next four years to Middlebury College, which became official on Saturday morning.
“I really liked the people up there, and academically and athletically it was the best choice I thought I had so I decided to go for it,” Milano said.
During Milano’s two years as a starter, the Rams went 22-4 and reached the Class L championship both times.
Milano rewrote the school record book this season. He now is New Canaan’s all-time leader in passing yards in a season and a career, attempts and completions in a game, season and career, and touchdowns in a season and career. All of those marks were once held by Kurt Horton and were set four decades ago.
In last Saturday’s state championship loss to Daniel Hand, Milano tied the state record with 38 completions in a game on 63 attempts, the third-most in CIAC history.
“He was just tremendous for us and worked hard at it too,” New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli said. “He studied a lot of film. He went to a lot of 7 on 7s and worked hard with the younger players. He acted like a coach on the field, reading coverages and checking out of things to put us in a better situation. He’s really been a godsend to us.”
Milano was considering a number of Ivy League and New England Small College Athletic Conference schools. Milano’s brother, Mike, just finished his career as a backup linebacker at Princeton.
“I really wanted to get a chance to play, and the Division III level appealed to me in that regard,” Milano said. “And it appealed to me that it will give me the chance to do other things. To me it was most important that I get a chance to play.”
Milano will now be teammates with Gil Araujo, a linebacker and tight end from Norwalk who also committed to Middlebury on Saturday. And Milano will be playing against one of his favorite receivers, Patrick Newton, who will be attending Trinity.
“I think this is a really good fit for him,” Marinelli said. “As a quarterback you can have a hard time with the Ivy League schools and the trickle down effect with teams getting transfers at the position. You can be the next guy in line and then someone else comes in. Middlebury will give him the opportunity to play and the NESCAC is a good league. We’ve sent a lot of players there.”
Milano said seeing one chapter of his football career close and the next one in front of him was bittersweet.
“It’s just strange that it is over, but by the same token New Canaan will move on and I’ll move on,” Milano said. “It’s kind of strange that it is already happening but I am excited.”
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When it came down to making her college decision, Mackenzie Griffin decided to follow her heart and make comfort level a priority.
That apparently is true with school names.
Griffin, the star center on the Trinity Catholic girls basketball team, announced on Thursday that, despite being courted by Division I schools, she is going to play next year at Trinity College.
“I feel so fortunate to be attending a school that will offer me a wonderful balance of academics and athletics,” Griffin said.
Griffin was named to both the All-FCIAC and All-State teams a year ago. She is averaging 15 points in the Crusaders’ first three games this season, despite recovering from a pair or broken wrists and playing with a bulging disc in her back.
“She is a young woman who has her priorities straight,” Crusaders coach Tom Kriz said. “She could have gone Division I and play basketball and she made a decision to go to Trinity and get an education and made her call for all the right reasons. I hold her as an example for what all student-athletes should aspire to.
Griffin at different times also played volleyball and soccer for the Crusaders. She said she is fired up about her future prospects.
“I am so excited,” Griffin said. “I have not been able to stop smiling. It has not set in yet, but it certainly is a dream come true.”
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The Ridgefield girls cross country team ran away from the field this season, winning FCIAC, Class LL and State Open titles.
And the Tigers and their coach, John Goetz, ran away from the field and are this year’s Overtime FCIAC Fall Team and Coach of the Year, respectively.
The Tigers will receive custom-made team T-shirts from our sponsors: BlueStreak-Sports Training, the Stamford Advocate, Garden Catering, Karl Chevrolet, Innovative Health & Rehabilitation, Chelsea Piers and New Balance in New Canaan.
Goetz will receive a trophy from BlueStreak Sports Training and the Stamford Advocate.
The Tigers finished with 73 percent of the vote to defeat the four other finalists.
Goetz finished with 51 percent of the vote to defeat the seven other finalists.
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Olivia Hompe of the New Canaan girls hockey team and Megan D’Alessandro of the Westhill girls basketball team are the first winners this winter of the BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Player of the Week awards.
Hompe and D’Alessandro will each receive T-shirts and plaques from BlueStreak Sports Training.
Hompe, our two-time Winter Player of the Year, had five goals and two assists in an 8-4 win over Glastonbury, putting the Rams’ junior star over the 100-goal career mark.
D’Alessandro had a pair of sensational performances in defeat for the Vikings, finishing with 32 points and 8 rebounds against Wilton and, despite playing just two and a half quarters because of an injury, 28 points and 3 rebounds against Ridgefield.
Nominations are open now until Tuesday at 10 a.m. for this week’s winners.
To nominate an athlete, click on this linkand email in the name of the person you are nominating.
Please include all of the player’s statistics for the week as well as the team results.
The award will be judged on games/matches/meets played Monday through Saturday of each week. Please wait until an athlete is done competing for the week to submit your nomination.
Westhill High School football coach Dick Cerone, who lost 19 straight games the last two years, did not have his contract renewed by the school, which is currently beginning the process to find his successor.
Cerone was 17-44 during his six seasons. The team’s record grew progressively worse after 5-5 finishes in each of the coach’s first two years. The Vikings defeated Warren Harding in the opening game of the 2010 season, which turned out to be the final win of Cerone’s career.
Westhill athletic director Mike King declined to comment on Cerone’s departure.
King said the job opening was posted on Dec. 1 and will remain so until Jan. 3. King said there have been somewhere between 15 and 20 applicants for the position thus far, with additional ones expected.
“Based on some people I have spoken to there should be more coming in,” King said. “I am going to start interviewing people around January 5th or 6th, and I would like to have someone named by the end of January.”
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After a long list of memorable accomplishments over the last three months, it is time for you to decide who was the very best of the best. We have five outstanding finalists for our annual Overtime FCIAC Fall Team of the Year award.
The finalists are: the Greenwich girls swimming, Ridgefield girls cross country, Staples football, Trumbull boys soccer and Wilton field hockey teams.
The winner will receive custom-made team T-shirts from our sponsors: BlueStreak-Sports Training, the Stamford Advocate, Garden Catering, Karl Chevrolet, Innovative Health & Rehabilitation, Chelsea Piers and New Balance in New Canaan.
Here are the finalists:
THE GREENWICH GIRLS SWIMMING TEAM: The Cardinals won the Class LL title and their seventh straight State Open championship.
THE RIDGEFIELD GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM: The Tigers ran the table, winning the FCIAC, Class LL and State Open championships.
THE STAPLES FOOTBALL TEAM: The Wreckers won the FCIAC title and then reached the Class LL final before losing to Xavier, the No. 1 team in the state.
THE TRUMBULL BOYS SOCCER TEAM: The Eagles won the FCIAC championship and then reached the state final for the first time before losing to top-seeded Pomperaug.
THE WILTON FIELD HOCKEY TEAM: The Warriors rebounded from a loss to Staples in the FCIAC final and rolled to the Class M state title.
Those are the five finalists. You have until noon on Wednesday to select the 2011 Overtime FCIAC Fall Team of the Year.
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After a long list of memorable accomplishments over the last three months, it is time for you to decide who was the very best of the best. We have eight outstanding finalists for our inaugural BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Fall Coach of the Year award.
The winner will receive a trophy from BlueStreak Sports Training and the Stamford Advocate.
The finalists are: Jon Bradley, Darien boys soccer; Katie Campbell, New Canaan volleyball; Dave Flower, Westhill girls soccer; Sebby Gangemi, Trumbull boys soccer; John Goetz, Ridgefield girls cross country; Dick Hawks,
Greenwich girls swimming; Sean Ireland, Norwalk football; and Marce Petroccio, Staples football.
Here are the finalists:
JON BRADLEY: Jumping from the Darien girls to the boys team, Bradley led the Blue Wave to one of their best seasons, a 14-4-3 mark and a trip to the FCIAC semifinals and state quarterfinals.
KATIE CAMPBELL: The Rams surpassed preseason expectations under Campbell, finishing 16-6 and reaching the FCIAC semifinals and the second round of the state tournament.
DAVE FLOWER: With just two returning starters, the Vikings under Flower had their best regular season ever, going 11-1-4, then lost on penalty kicks in the FCIAC and state quarterfinals.
SEBBY GANGEMI: The Eagles, led by Gangemi, went 18-2-4, winning their first outright FCIAC title and advancing to their first state championship game.
JOHN GOETZ: The Tigers ran the table under Goetz, rolling to FCIAC, Class LL and State Open championships.
DICK HAWKS: The Cardinals continued their postseason excellence under Hawks, winning the Class LL title and their seventh straight State Open championship.
SEAN IRELAND: In Ireland’s first season, the Bears finished 9-2, reached the state playoffs for the first time since 1998 and won an opening round game before losing in the semifinals.
MARCE PETROCCIO: With a young team considered a year away, Petroccio led the Wreckers to a 12-1 mark, winning the FCIAC title and reaching the state championship game.
Those are the eight finalists. You have until noon on Wednesday to select the 2011 BlueStreak-Overtime FCIAC Fall Male Player of the Year.
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Five teams off to hot starts are our first set of finalists this winter to be the Overtime FCIAC Team of the Week.
